You're not alone if you're shopping for a film camera—the retro medium has made a comeback in recent years. And while there is a seemingly endless supply of vintage cameras for sale at thrift shops and camera stores, there's an amount of expertise required to navigate that market. If you just want to try film—and not spend a lot of money doing so—the Kodak Ektar H35 ($49.95) makes a lot of sense. It's a pocket-friendly point-and-shoot with one-button operation and compatibility with standard 35mm film cartridges. It's certainly a low-fi camera, but one with a lot charm. The Ektar H35 is an easy (and affordable) way to see what photography was like before the days of digital.
Half Frame, the Remedy for Expensive Film
The Kodak Ektar H35 is a true point-and-shoot camera that takes 35mm film cartridges, with a slight twist. The Ektar has a half-frame lens, so it gets twice as many pictures per roll: 48 instead of 24, or 72 instead of 36.
It manages the trick by exposing a smaller portion of the negative than a full-frame camera. Where a full-frame negative measures 24x36mm, the Ektar 35mm captures narrower 24x18mm frames. It's a historically common format—the Olympus PEN-F is a famous half-frame camera—and photo labs can handle the film without problems.
It's a sensible decision given the current market prices for film—a 36-exposure roll of Kodak Portra 400 costs about $16, for example. There's a certain appeal to shooting twice as many photos for your money.
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It also makes for a compact design. The lens doesn't need to cover as large a surface area as a full-frame camera, after all. The Ektar H35 is small, just 2.4 by 4.3 by 1.5 inches (HWD), and featherweight at 3.5 ounces.
Construction quality isn't anything to crow about. The camera is all plastic, but we do like the attractive design and faux leatherette finish. The H35 is available in several two-tone looks—Black, Brown, Sage Green, and Sand Yellow—all with silver accents on the front and a black posterior. We received the Sage edition for review.
Controls are about as simple as it gets. Film loads in the rear door, and the film advance is at the back of the camera. The shutter button is on top, along with a cutout window that shows how many photos you've taken. The film rewind crank is on the bottom. There are no double exposure or similar creative modes with the camera; if you're after those, take a look at the forthcoming LomoApparat.
The power control for the flash is a collar around the lens, it turns on or off with a twist. Be careful and remember to turn the H35 off when you're done taking pictures, though; leaving it on will drain the AAA battery. At one point I left the camera turned on and unattended over a weekend and was greeted with a dead battery when I picked it up for a Monday morning walk.
Flash Required for Indoor Use
You'll want to use the flash, as it's a practical requirement for snapshots in anything dimmer than sunlight. The Ektar H35 sports a 22mm f/9.5 lens; it's a moderate wide angle, but pretty dim, and paired with a fixed 1/100-second shutter. I used ISO 400 color negative film and got good results outdoors with and without the flash, and inside with the flash turned on.
Picture quality is on the same level as disposable cameras. The H35's lens is optical acrylic, not glass, and pictures show it. Details aren't razor sharp, but the lens has enough resolving power so you can read the text on stickers and street art when you catch them in snapshots. Take care not to photograph into the sun or a strong backlight, however; the plastic optics don't handle flare well at all, so backlit photos tend to be washed out with little contrast.
Focus is fixed, so there's no need to adjust the lens before snapping the shutter. Even so, take care not to get too close to your subject as the flash will wash out details in close-ups. Also, remember that you'll be taking portrait orientation photos when holding the camera in landscapes, the half-frame design makes for tall photos. If you want to make a landscape photo you'll need to hold the camera sideways, somewhat unintuitive for many photographers.
You'll need to take your film to a lab for processing. My local photo lab had no problem handling the half-frame film. You may have to spend more for prints or scans, depending on your local lab's policies. Your biggest challenge may be finding a lab—mail-away processing is an option if there's no lab convenient to your locale.
A Good Starter for the Film Curious
The Kodak Ektar H35 is a solid pick for younger creators looking to try film for the first time, as well as old hands who want to chase some nostalgia and run a few rolls through a camera. It's easy to use—it doesn't get much simpler than a single button—and gets you around 48 to 72 photos on a roll of film, which is good news given the current cost of materials and processing.
There are a spattering of reusable compact film cameras with disposable camera-quality optics to mull. Most others are full-frame but are also good ways to try out film.
We reviewed the Lomography Simple Use Film Camera a few years back; it's still available and is offered with a few different types of film pre-loaded. There are similarly minded cameras from film brands like AgfaPhoto and Ilford, as well as others from Kodak and the OEM manufacturer behind the Ektar, the Reto Project. You might also want to think about trying out an instant camera if you're itching to try film but don't have a convenient place to go for film processing.
Thanks to B&H Photo for providing the camera for review and to The Phoblographer for a roll of Kodak Gold 400 film.
If you're looking to try out a film camera, the Kodak Ektar H35 is a low-cost option to get you started. Moreover, its half-frame lens doubles the number of photos you get per roll to help curb material and processing costs.
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